Anna Patterson 1. In the space below, describe the stasis at the beginning of Zoot Suit. In other words, “Where are we?” “When is it (time, day, and year)?” “Who are the people involved?” “What is the dramatic situation in which the characters find themselves as the play unfolds?” The play begins with Los Angeles in the summer of 1943. The 38th street gang is introduced along with Henry, the protagonist. The dramatic situation the characters find themselves in is that they are accused of a murder and put on an unfair trial.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play? The intrusion is when the four boys (Henry, Smiley, Joey, Tommy) are taken into jail and accused of murder.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor which is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place? The unique factor is that it takes place in Los Angeles in the 1940’s during the second world war when racial tensions are high, and everyone is suspicious of everyone.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrustion.) “Will the boys stay in prison for life?”. “Can there be justice for the boys?”. “Can the injustice shown toward them be rectified?”.
5. Use Henry to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, ie. The dramatic actions that are taken. Examine what the character wants (NOTE: In Wedding Band the wants of Julia are in flux. They change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a charcter. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles. First, Henry wants to be in the military and serve his country. After his arrest, he wants to be free from the discrimination and unfairness of the trial and the accusations against him.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Zoot Suit. There are more than one. The most theatrical moments are any time there is a fight on stage, especially the seen during the trial when Della describes the night of the sleepy lagoon murder and Henry goes to fight off the people destroying his car. And the trial, and the speeches made by both of the lawyers.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Zoot Suit. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”) Most notably, the image of the Zoot Suit. There are two perspectives when viewing this; first the perspective of the Chicanos. They viewed the Zoot Suit as they ideal. They idolized this idea of a suave man, wearing a fashionable Zoot Suit and strived to be this figure. The second perspective is of the white society. They viewed this type of dress as mocking the styles of the day and a way to identify and negatively profile those who donned the Zoot Suit. The newspaper is symbolic of the views of society and their biases toward the community. The news and the press are a constant force that drives the story forward and many times, an antagonist against Henry and the other boys on trial. The music symbolizes the rich culture of the chicano community. The vibrant music helps to set the community apart from the rest of the world, but their dance move shows that they adopted some of the styles of the times.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Zoot Suit. Racial prejudice is the main of the play.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with the dramatic action in Zoot Suit? I think the idea of family encompasses the entire 38th street gang. They stick together, and protect each other and each other’s honor and back each other up in fights when needed. The gang is itself a family unit as the chicano community binds itself together to stay safe against the outside world that seems to all be against them.
1. In the space below, describe the stasis at the beginning of Zoot Suit. In other words, “Where are we?” “When is it (time, day, and year)?” “Who are the people involved?” “What is the dramatic situation in which the characters find themselves as the play unfolds?”
The play begins with Los Angeles in the summer of 1943. The 38th street gang is introduced along with Henry, the protagonist. The dramatic situation the characters find themselves in is that they are accused of a murder and put on an unfair trial.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play?
The intrusion is when the four boys (Henry, Smiley, Joey, Tommy) are taken into jail and accused of murder.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor which is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
The unique factor is that it takes place in Los Angeles in the 1940’s during the second world war when racial tensions are high, and everyone is suspicious of everyone.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrustion.)
“Will the boys stay in prison for life?”. “Can there be justice for the boys?”. “Can the injustice shown toward them be rectified?”.
5. Use Henry to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, ie. The dramatic actions that are taken. Examine what the character wants (NOTE: In Wedding Band the wants of Julia are in flux. They change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a charcter. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles.
First, Henry wants to be in the military and serve his country. After his arrest, he wants to be free from the discrimination and unfairness of the trial and the accusations against him.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Zoot Suit. There are more than one.
The most theatrical moments are any time there is a fight on stage, especially the seen during the trial when Della describes the night of the sleepy lagoon murder and Henry goes to fight off the people destroying his car. And the trial, and the speeches made by both of the lawyers.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Zoot Suit. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”)
Most notably, the image of the Zoot Suit. There are two perspectives when viewing this; first the perspective of the Chicanos. They viewed the Zoot Suit as they ideal. They idolized this idea of a suave man, wearing a fashionable Zoot Suit and strived to be this figure. The second perspective is of the white society. They viewed this type of dress as mocking the styles of the day and a way to identify and negatively profile those who donned the Zoot Suit.
The newspaper is symbolic of the views of society and their biases toward the community. The news and the press are a constant force that drives the story forward and many times, an antagonist against Henry and the other boys on trial.
The music symbolizes the rich culture of the chicano community. The vibrant music helps to set the community apart from the rest of the world, but their dance move shows that they adopted some of the styles of the times.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Zoot Suit.
Racial prejudice is the main of the play.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with the dramatic action in Zoot Suit?
I think the idea of family encompasses the entire 38th street gang. They stick together, and protect each other and each other’s honor and back each other up in fights when needed. The gang is itself a family unit as the chicano community binds itself together to stay safe against the outside world that seems to all be against them.